New Beginnings. Sort of.

Kathlene Mesa
Sep 4, 2018 · 2 min read

I cannot believe that I have managed to miss my first blogging deadline. Well, that is not entirely true. I have what seems like a million things to do and writing has managed to make it to the back burner.

Much to my dismay I have failed to post and it has left me contemplating exactly what I have to say. Many nights I was left feeling like what I had to say was irrelevant and that I would leave you all with nothing more than wasted time.

Our campus this year has a much different feel than in years past. There is a renewed sense of purpose, belonging, and of collaboration. You see, in the past five years of being at Cesar Chavez Middle School, I have had five administrators.

Each one came in brandishing their own flavor of what a campus should look, feel, and sound like. One was very laid back. Others were lost in the shuffle of the day to day that seemed to elude them as they applied for the position. Yet another, chose to flip our system on its head and change all elements of how we functioned as a campus.

With each addition the “feel” of our campus drifted from the familial closeness we each cherished and morphed into strangers passing in the halls, saying nothing more than pleasantries as we did so.

My original administrator I began with has returned to our campus this year. The shift in expectations and how we respond is electric. The feeling is fantastic!

Colleagues are all excited to share with one another. Through sharing about the experience I had with the writing project with EVERYONE I have found that I have changed my outlook on writing and how it is under utilized in the day to day processes that many teachers follow.

Our priorities in helping one another is truly wonderful to see. I have been assisting math teachers utilize writing within their classrooms so that students know how to use strategies that work and they are familiar with.

I am still working to achieve all of my lofty plans for the year, however, unfortunately due to the mandated testing facilitated by iReady, our district writing assessment, and “health” class for 6th graders; I am now about 7–9 days behind. It is frustrating.

Optimism for the year leads me to believe that I will have the support of administrators and that I will recoup my time. Let’s hope for the best!

“two women smiling” by rawpixel on Unsplash

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